The Ship of Death
by Irish Fury
Summary: Life within death within revenge


The night air swirled around them all and they stood silently at the helm, staring out at the sea and keeping an eye out for any troubles that could assail them on this dark and mysterious evening.  They were quite a contrast to one another, standing side by side; she was bright like fire and he was pale like the moon.  Her hair was red and hung down to her mid back, while her misty green eyes stuck out on her overly pale face.  On the other hand his pale blonde hair, contrasted well with his deeply tanned skin and sapphire blue eyes.  Setting asides the difference and taking a deeper look you would notice that they in fact had many similarities between them that gave away their family relation.   

They each had a hardened look of a sailor who had seen too many horrible things at sea and now hid themselves behind a wall of brick, they're emotions secreted away to some hidden place within them.  Just staring at them was enough to give anyone the chills for the looks on their faces were so identical that it was hard to believe that you were looking at two completely different people.  Finally after hours of being in that position, he bowed slightly towards his sister.  "Dreia, I do believe that it be time for me retire for the night."  She smirked at how his lowly Irish accent had a way of tingeing the upper class British one he kept up for appearances.  

"Aye, 'tis be time for ye men of weak spirits to be heading to bed."  He grinned and gave one last bow of mockery and she let out a slight laugh, her eyes dancing with humor. This was their way of interacting with each other and it had been since they were extremely small children.  Neither was willing to show the outside world exactly what it was that they felt or thought but they interacted openly with one another in a way that many married couples would envy.  They were comfortable with each other and each had a certain understanding when it came to the other and they could thank the way they'd been raised for that.  Both had known since a very young age not to trust anyone beyond your blood because that would be the end of you.  "Ye know that ye'll never be a true brother of mine if ye besmirch our proud name by being found as a man who needs completely too much sleep."  With one last grin she turned and headed towards the helm, calling over her shoulder "Shaw… don't forget, we be needing' some new supplies so we'll be stopping' in Port Royal come morning', luv." 

Shaw shook his head after her, amazed at the sheer audacity of his wonderful, older sister.  Most women would bite their own tongues off before ever declaring to tell a man that he would be the one to besmirch their name, but then again that was why Dreia was who she was.  If it hadn't been for her comments he didn't think this ship would be half as humorous and lighthearted as it had been over the years, even the crew had become accustomed to her smart mouth.  Between the two of them the crew had come to accept a lot of things over time and that was why both were never quick in letting one of their members go or quick in trying to find new ones.  They had to know that it was someone they could rely on to get the job done and to at least fight were they ever in the need of defending their ship.  Many things had been learned by the two over the years and that was one of them, but most things didn't need to be learned from first hand experience because both recalled the stories their mother had told them as children of her time on the sea with the infamous Jack Rackham.

It was a fact that they kept well hidden from one and all but it was something that hung in the back of their minds as to something they should remember for days to come.  If they wanted to accomplish everything that they needed to accomplish then they would need to keep clear heads and always remember others mistakes, because if you didn't recognize the past then you were doomed to repeat it and that was a proven fact.  And so they each headed off in their own directions to make way for the coming morning and to think they're own thoughts with their shields thrown back up.  Alexandreia excused the first mate from his place at the wheel to steer them on a continued course to Port Royal.  Contrary to what many may think, Alex wasn't your common girl or even a common female pirate or sailor.  For the last eight years she'd sailed with her brother and before that she sailed with her father and mother, occasionally heading out on her own but only rarely and with crewmembers who had worked in her fathers' fleet for at least twenty years.  He wouldn't trust his sole daughter with just anyone, especially considering that if she were ever ransomed she could be ransomed for quite a lot.   It had taken a lot of hard years to earn her rightful place as a captain of a ship and she had the scars –both physical and mental- to prove just how hard those years had been on her.  The sea was her home, just as it had been for her father and the woman who she held in high regards and thought of as her mother even if the woman hadn't birthed her.  Her actual mother had been some random whore who had died not too long after Alexandreia's birth.

Years had passed before she'd even known the truth of what her mothers profession had been and when she had figured it out, she'd been highly disappointed by it because she'd always thought that her real mother had at least been a maid or something of that sort.  At the truth she couldn't help but felt that she was destined to follow in her mothers' path and that was what had driven her to have such a need to learn everything there was to learn about the sea and to be the best captain she could be.  Every pain that she'd endured over the years had been well worth it if it kept her from heading towards her mothers' end.  That was still one fear she kept close to the chest and one she planned to keep that way so that no one would ever view that as a weakness.  And yet after the years had come and gone she'd ended up just where she was, the pride of her fathers heart, as close to her brother as ever, and nowhere near a whorehouse with the occasional exception of their visits to Tortuga and Pierre because she wasn't one who would go without saying hello to her mothers longtime best friend.  He was one man who she trusted almost as much as she trusted Shaw or even her own father.

Before long, light appeared on the horizon and she smiled as the edge of Port Royal came into her view.  Her voice carried over the winds and waves with a naturalness that had been earned over the last fifteen years, "Men… land ahoy.  We'll set in 'ere for a few days an' prepare for the rest of the journey we need ta make." 

The rest of the crew prepared for their docking and she kept a careful eye on them, while steering the ship closer and closer port.  Finally after the anchor had been lowered she carefully treaded towards the captains cabin, nodding occasionally towards a crewmember and murmuring a few words of good morning as well.  Once there she threw the door open and smirked as Shaw whipped out his pistol and aimed straight at her, cocking back hammer, ready to shoot at any unwelcome intruder.  "Why brother, m'dear, I'm beginning' to suspect that ye don't love me like ye used to." She grinned at him and turned towards her trunk, throwing the top open and pulling out a white dress that her father had given her last time she'd been to visit him.  It was trimmed with red satin and was quite beautiful and just the thing she'd need while in Port Royal since she doubted her usual clothes would hold up nicely while here.  

She heard a loud sigh before a thump sounded and her brother fell back onto the bunk he was lying in.  "You know, Dreia, it's an absolute sin that you're so bloody 'happy when ye've barely rested in the last three days."  She grinned and finished dressing before turning her back towards him.

"Lace me up, brother dearest."  She paused, waiting for him to come closer before continuing.  "Ye know as well as I do that I'm always happy when we make port here.  I can see that dashing man at the bakery and ye can see yer lovely Hannah and that always makes ye 'happy.  And seeing' ye 'happy always makes me 'happier because ye be easier to live wit' when you've 'ad a bit of time to yerself."

Gasping, slightly at the tightening of the corset she grasped onto the dresser in front of her and waited for him to finish.  "You're right, Hannah is here, I'd nearly forgotten about her for a moment."

Alex laughed and turned to lean up and kiss her brother on the cheek, "Now there be one thing I ne'er thought I'd hear out of ye're mouth, Shaw.  Forgetting' about a woman just isn't like ye."

He smirked and gazed down at her, "There's two things ye'll be doing' before you go anywhere."  She stared up at him expectantly, not saying a thing and just waiting for him to tell her exactly what he was talking about.  "One of course you'll be planning' to fix that mop of hair that sits atop your head and two ye best put on ye're fancy accent or we'll be in for a 'ell of a time and it'll end with us hanging' by our necks."  She simply laughed and turned towards the long, shiny silver backing of the door that served as a mirror and began to fix her hair into something resembling a lady.

"Aye I guess that I should…"  Her voice sounded depressed at the notion but it was more at the thought of having to make such an effort to rid the Irish from her voice.  "I believe that this is better, is it not?"  He nodded his approval at both her hair and her accent and she headed out, slipping on a pair of gloves that had come with the dress and heading off towards the city.  A brisk walk was just what she needed at this moment.

Shaw on the other hand had a few things he needed to do before he could head off on his own and the number one thing was to find that damn blasted bow so that he could get it restrung for his sister.  One of the less known things about her was that the one thing she truly enjoyed besides sailing was playing her violin and she was quite good at it.  The best he'd seen and that just wasn't because she was his sister but because she practiced for hours on end when she really got in the mood for it.  Unfortunately in their last argument the bow had suffered the fate of being thrown at Shaw's head and it had broken and so he was going to try and see what he could do about getting it fixed.  Finally finding it tucked away at the bottom of her trunk he pulled it out and laid it on top of the bed so that he would have no problem getting to it once he finished giving his crew their orders for the day.  He dressed quickly and cleaned himself off before grabbing the bow and heading out to walk the deck and call out different things to different crewmembers.  At last he came to where they were docked and headed off towards the wonderful Port Royal and eventually to Hannah.

As Dreia came down one street, she paused to study one of the statues outside of the blacksmith before grinning to herself.  With Shaw's birthday coming up she needed a gift and this was just the place to stop, especially considering how renowned this blacksmith was for his swords.  Shaw had been meaning to get on for over a year now and just hadn't put his mind to it and for now Dreia was thankful for that because she could get it for him and then he'd just have to wait a bit before being able to use it.   Pulling the door open, she daintily walked in and looked around, "Hello…?" Glancing around she wrinkled her nose in distaste at the extreme dirtiness of her surroundings, just as a proper lady should but then an easy smile drift onto her features as she caught sight of the mule.  _'Men! How unbearable for that poor creature!'  _

Slowly she walked down and over to it and gently smoothed her hand over its head and down the back of its neck. "Poor thing, I'm terribly sorry you're all tied up like this."  If it was one thing that she had a love for besides music then it was animals.  Back home she had horses that she insisted upon taking care of herself since they did after all belong to her and a dog that looked quite like the wolf it was named for.  She ignored the fact that she was dirtying her dress and continued to pet the poor mule, a small smile lighting her features at the way it cocked its head towards her.  A sudden cough broke her from her reverie and she lifted her head to stare at the young man who stood in front of her with an amused expression on his face.  "I'm terribly sorry… how utterly rude of me." 

Standing she extended her hand but he simply stared at the immaculate gloved hand before looking towards his own, dirty hands.  She caught what he was trying to convey and forced a slight blush to light her cheeks before retracting her hand.  He gave a friendly smile and lifted an eyebrow, "May I help you ma'am?"

With a nod, she primly held up her skirt in her hands, "Right, well actually I'm here to place an order."  She smiled, a dazzling smile, "A sword… the best you could make in a month and a half."  She watched as he rubbed his chin and looked to be thinking deeply on it, and since he was preoccupied she took this time to take in the rest of the blacksmith.  Slight surprise coursed through her at the number of swords lying around but she hid that and just kept a look of mild interest upon her face.

"I believe I could do that, Miss…?"

"Rich… Lexia Rich."  She smiled once more, before continuing, "I'll be back to pick it up in exactly a month and a half and it would be best if I could pay now and not have to worry about it then."  

Thinking it over it didn't take long for greed to win him over, as she suspected it would.  "That will be just fine, but I won't be able to judge how much it is until I've made it."

"No two swords alike?"

He grinned, "Of course not, if they were we wouldn't half as many customers as we do."  

"You never gave me your name."

"Right, sorry about that."  He cleaned his hands off on his apron and gave her a friendly smile, "Will Turner."

Hiding her surprise she smiled like the simpleton she was playing, "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Turner."  With that she lifted her skirts once more and headed out but paused, "Don't forget that once a month and a half is up, I'll be back for my sword."  

That night she headed back to the ship, glad to be back on the ocean since her legs weren't used to being on solid ground.  With her brother and most of the crew out and about for the night she knew she'd have some peace and quiet and so she headed towards her cabin.  With the moonlight shining in the otherwise dark room, she moved about with an ease that had been learned after many years at sea.  With everything in its place she didn't have to worry about tripping over anything and therefore could walk around without feeling the need to light one of the lanterns.  She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off her shoes with a sigh, after wearing her sea boots for so long it was difficult to accustom her feet to the slippers she'd been forced to walk around in all day.  Her feet felt as though they were full of blisters and would be most unpleasant to walk on tomorrow but with or without the pain she had duties she'd need to get done and would therefore ignore any pain her feet were giving her and focus her full attention on the ship.  With a sigh she contented herself to think about the things that were in desperate need of getting done.  Before they set off tomorrow there was a rip in the foresail that would need mending and she doubted than many besides herself would be able to do it or would offer to do it with a woman already onboard.  

When her thoughts drifted towards the events of that day, another smile eased its way onto her face and she shook her head slightly.  After making out an order for that sword she'd made her way towards the bakery, the blacksmiths' name still running through her head.  So the story of the infamous Jack Sparrow did have some truth to it after all.  She doubted the bulk of it was true but there was Bootstraps son and he did look a great deal like his father but he had his mothers' eyes.  With a sigh she went in and glanced around before feeling disappointment well up, nowhere in sight was there the boy who she had been so previously infatuated with.  Quickly she ordered a loaf of bread and then went back out and made her way through the twisted streets of Port Royal her thoughts overwhelming everything else.  Sparrow was renowned but she'd never been one to fall for the stories of a pirate legend, especially when she was told from the mouth a very drunk pirate.  Now seeing part of the truth for herself, there was no denying that there was at least some honesty to that story, however how much, she didn't know.

It wasn't really worth the amount of thought she was putting it into it except that it was one of those stories that had turned more into legend than fact and she knew that a great deal of legends did in fact come from some truth.  Like the many stories that were told of the last female pirate to sail the seas and how she was just as brutal as the men she sailed with.  In fact, that was true but many of the outlandish things you heard about the woman were embellishments, told to make the story a mite more interesting and to give someone a reason to relay it to another.  That's why you should never believe what you hear; word of mouth had a way of telling lies and twisting truths without even realizing that it was happening in the first place.  

Quickly she pulled at the laces of her dress before pulling it off and then took some extra time pulling her corset off, swearing to herself that she'd never again wear one.  Rage or not, if Anne wanted to see her in a corset then she'd have to wear them herself and that was that.  After what seemed like an eternity she lay back on the bed in her undergarments and sighed deeply.  If only things had turned out differently, then she herself might have turned out differently and wouldn't be captaining a ship at twenty-eight but would be home with a family and children and a husband whose life had never and would never lie with the turns of the sea.  It was all a dream and one that would never come true so there was no use entertaining it for any amount of time. 

Through the night, her dreams and her past haunted her and her body couldn't seem to find a comfortable position and would twist and turn never letting the lulling motion of the ship rock it completely to sleep.  One hand was always on the pistol under her pillow and the other covered her face from any intruding lights that would keep her awake throughout the night.  As the night hours faded she turned one last time and her eyes slowly opened, not surprised in the least that it was still dark out.  Her mind never rested for very long but it was long enough for her and now she could get up and start her duties for the day.  Dressing quickly she made her way to the galley and was surprised to find the mess that she found.  A growl rolled across her tongue and she strode towards where the three drunken men were passed out.  Her mind quickly searched for their names and when she found them she strode over and smacked each one upside the head.  "Rise and shine ye scalley weg dogs, ye.  Just take a look at this mess an' tell me what it be exactly what ye've done since I left this part of the ship in ye're care."  When they didn't rise immediately she grabbed one of the mops that had been leaned up against the wall and hit the closest one, hard, on the back.  "I believe I said up. Now ye'll be getting' up or ye'll be cleaning' the forecastle with nothing' more than a brush."  

Slowly they rose and eyed her closely, trying to decide just how good of a mood she was in and just how lenient she would be with them for falling asleep before finishing their duties.  Tentavily one spoke, "Captiana… we be truly sorry for falling' asleep and it'll ne'er happen again."

"Ye're right it won't… once we get to Tortuga, I'll see that ye find placement aboard another ship before I replace ye." With that she nodded her head and dropped the mop at their feet.  "'till then it would be best if ye continued to work, otherwise I'll just have me brother throw ye three o'er the side.

They stared solemnly after her and once she was out of hearing range, began to grumble about her and her mood changes.  But they soon realized that had they caught her in a horrible mood she never would have offered to find them placement aboard another ship and stopped complaining.  If they knew their captiana they would be found placement above a good ship and get good wages for their work.  Most captains probably would have shot them on the spot but she treated them all equally and expected the same from them all so they couldn't really blame her for being angry with them for doing what they had done.  

Her mood had considerably darkened in the last half hour and as she made her way to repair the sail she made sure to steer clear of the rest of the crew.  It wasn't really her place to say that they were going to have to work aboard another boat but she had just been so angry when she'd found them the way she had.  Her crew did not pass out before finishing their work.  If there was one thing she was tough about it was making sure that everything got done before you went off to have your fun.  Silently she sat and began to work on the sail, letting the rising sun warm the sudden chill that had overtaken her body.  If this was any indication of how this day was going to turn out then she was in for a hell of a ride.

Her brother and the rest of the crew had all boarded by midmorning and she pulled Shaw aside to tell him of that morning's incident and he agreed with her completely because they both knew that if they weren't tough with their crew then eventually they would find themselves at the mercy of the very men who worked for them.  That was something neither wanted and yet both kept as a worry so as to keep their guard up.  They set sail not too much later and were well on their way to Tortuga by that night, Shaw was at the helm and Dreia was walking the decks, staring out at the sea.  The thick fog that surrounded their ship made them all weary, but Dreia and Shaw most of all because they had more than just themselves to worry about.  Late that night while most of the crew was dead asleep a thunderous noise rocked the ocean around them, just before 'The Scarlet' was hit.  

Dreia awoke almost immediately and pulled on her clothing, haphazardly before grabbing both her pistol and sword and dashing her way up onto the deck.  Her voice carried over the hurried sounds of the crew as she spouted out orders at every turn.  Each man had a place to go and knew where it was in case they ever came under attack but she shouted still as her eyes searched desperately for her brother.  They both acknowledged each other at the same time before turning and heading off in opposite directions.  "Man the guns! Stay sharp, now… don't be letting' a little cannon fire give ye reason to panic."  As Dreia stopped at the stern, she stared out onto the water, bracing herself as her ship was hit again.  They knew where the cannons were coming from but it was impossible to make out more than a blurry shape of what looked like a ship.  Unprepared for the next hit, Dreia was thrown to the side and just barely caught herself before being thrown overboard completely.  Taking a deep breath she traveled the length of the ship to find her brother once more and kept her attention focused on everything surrounding her.

Finally finding him, she stood at his side and they both let their minds realize what was happening, "She's goin' to go down… get the lifeboats ready."  Shaw stepped back to order the crew to do just this as Dreia prowled the area near her, giving out orders and staring out into the ocean to try and see more than just a shape of this ship.   Her men were shooting but it seemed as though they weren't hitting their mark and that's when she realized exactly what was going on.  It was a trick; it was something to draw their attention to that ship so that they wouldn't see another creeping up behind them.  She opened her mouth to shout for Shaw but a scream from one of the crewmembers, her head snapped towards the sound and she drew her cutlass.  Before she could find the source of the cry, she was attacked and had to use all of her energy to fight it off.  Without even thinking she used her free hand to draw her pistol and deposited the shot she had in there in the mans heart, then turned and started to fight her way through to find her brother.  "Shaw!"  

Her brother stood not far off, proudly defending himself, but he never even saw another man creep up behind him and didn't even realize what was happening until it was too late.  His face clearly showed all of the pain he felt as the sword entered his body but he never once gave a sound and for that her heart swelled just before it filled with anger and malevolence towards the two men who had done this to her brother.  A scream of pure fury tore through her throat and she pulled her cutlass once more only to embed it into the first mans back.  She didn't bother to pull it out again but turned and drew her sword, "Time tae lose ye're precious life, you bloody bastard!"  

Her fury added to her strength and her size added to her speed, she was nimble and quick footed and it made it impossible for just one small man to bring her down.  Just looking into the eyes of the person who murdered Shaw in such a cowardly way made her want to cringe and hide but she blocked all of that away and instead fought.  Their blades clashed and for just a moment he got the upper hand and was able to slice into her arm but the pain was dimmed by the overwhelming anger and without a moments thought she buried her sword deeply into his chest.  His eyes widened as he looked at the sword protruding from his body before he collapsed to the ground, death taking over him.  

Her eyes searched the deck and everywhere she looked she saw bodies of her men and of the men who had bordered her ship lying in pools of their own blood.  But the most prominent thing in her mind was the fact that her men were winning and the others were retreating back to the safety of their ship.  Not much later both ships sailed off and her men collapsed onto the deck beneath their feet, but they wouldn't have long before the entire ship was at the bottom of the ocean.  She summoned the men and pointed to where their rafts were floating, her voice carrying a tinge of pain, "Board."  Looking down at her brother she knew that there was no way she would be able to just leave him there and so she looked out at the rest of the crew.  "I'm taking' me brother wit' me an' if ye 'ave another aboard who ye want to take wit' ye then so be it."  That said, she leaned down and hefted her brother up, dragging him towards the edge and with the help of two others she lowered her brother into the boat.  As all of the rafts started to row away she called for the men in her boat to stop rowing and turned to look back at her beloved ship as it sank.  Silently she swore revenge for every mans life that had been taken aboard her ship and for her brothers.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A.N. This is my first Pirates of the Caribbean story and I hope to have longer chapters as we go along and also a good plot.  Reviews are welcome. 

A.N. TWO: I didn't even realize that the formatting got screwed up in my original post so I'm sorry for that and this was just an introduction to my female character to give her a little background and show part of the reason she became what she'll be in the  next chapter.  


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